As for Liu Bei's life experience, I think everyone knows that Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan Jing. He will blurt out: "Liu Bei was a weaver and sold shoes." Is that really the case?
Liu Bei is definitely not a peddler who weaves mats and sells shoes!
As we all know, Liu Bei is a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan Jing, and a royal family in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although the lineage of this line has been declining since it was passed to Liu Bei's generation, the thin camel is bigger than the horse, and the declining aristocrat is also a nobleman!
Although generations of Liu Bei's ancestors lost their status as royalty, they were all official families and served as officials from generation to generation. Liu Xiong, the grandfather of Liu Bei, was recommended as Lian Xiao and was appointed as the county magistrate of Fan County (now Fan County, Puyang City, Henan Province). Liu Bei's father, Likas, was also recommended as Lian Xiao. Unfortunately, Ricas died early and did not hold an official position.
Liu Bei's two generations of direct ancestors were recommended as filial piety, which shows that Liu Bei's family is definitely not a poor family. Because in the Eastern Han Dynasty, especially in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, the local land of filial piety was basically in the hands of local predators. The Liu family, who came from the imperial clan, must have been a local imperial clan at that time.
Liu Bei's two generations of direct ancestors were recommended as filial piety!
Because Rickas died early and had no official position, Liu Bei had no chance to be recommended as Lian Xiao again. Not being recommended as Lian Xiao means that you have no chance to be an official directly (by yourself).
Although Liu Bei can't be an official directly, it doesn't mean that Liu Bei's family has plummeted and he has to make a living by making mats and selling shoes. This is because the aristocratic families in the Eastern Han Dynasty have always occupied the countryside and lived together, and the Liu family is no exception.
"Shu Shu Ancestor Biography" records that "Delan's father has been donating money to his ancestors, and so has Delan. Yuan Qi's wife said, "Why is every family evil? Yuan Qi said, "There is a son in my family who is very human. Liu Deran's father, Liu Yuanqi, often subsidizes Liu Bei and receives the same treatment as his son, Liu Deran. Liu's wife was very dissatisfied with this and said, "We are not a family. How can we do this often? " Liu Yue said, "Liu has Liu Bei. He is definitely not an ordinary person! "
Liu Yuan-qi, Liu Bei's uncle, regarded Liu Bei as his own and often supported him.
It can be clearly seen from this record that the Liu family is a large family that lives in groups, because Liu Bei's uncle Liu Yuanqi often subsidizes Liu Bei and treats him like his own son. Even if other kindred elders can't treat him as one of their own, they can at least ensure that Liu Bei has no food and clothing, and that Liu Bei doesn't have to plow the fields to support his family like a poor child.
In a word, Liu Bei, who was born in Liu's family in the county, can live a well-off life even if he lost his father in his childhood under the protection of the clan. In addition, the following events can prove that Liu Bei's living standard far exceeds that of most people in the same period!
Liu Bei's living standard is at least well-off!
During the Han Dynasty, reading, literacy and education were always the training modes of aristocrats, and poor children were hard to get a good education from beginning to end because of family difficulties. The Eastern Han Dynasty was no exception. Children from poor families have never had the right to education, and the experience of studying abroad that requires huge amounts of money is unbearable for ordinary families (the cost of studying abroad in the Eastern Han Dynasty is equivalent to the cost of studying abroad in modern times). In other words, if a person can get an education and travel around, it means that he is at least well-fed and well-off.
Liu Bei is such a figure. He can not only receive education, but also travel around.
Liu Bei not only has culture, but also can travel around the world!
According to Shu Shu Chuan, Liu Bei, who was only fifteen years old, traveled with Liu Deran and Gongsun Zan, sons of Liu, with the support of his uncle Liu. Finally, all three of them took Lu Zhi, a man of the hour at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, as their teacher and became Lu Zhi's disciples.
The financial resources and contacts needed for such a study tour are far from what ordinary families can support, even exceeding those of ordinary wealthy families.
Liu Bei was never considered a poor boy. It is clearly recorded in the Biography of the Ancient Master of Shu: "The ancient master (Liu Bei) was not very happy to study, and he liked dogs, horses, music and beautiful clothes. Talk less, be kind to others, and show no emotion. It means that Liu Bei doesn't like reading, likes flying eagles and running dogs, likes eating and drinking, likes gorgeous clothes, and is silent, kind and expressionless. I like to make friends with heroes all my life, and local young people are eager to attach themselves to him. "
Liu Bei doesn't like reading, but loves to make friends with heroes. Have slaves and brothers at hand!
Eagles, running dogs, bells and bells, gorgeous clothes, can these things be touched by children of poor families in their daily lives? Not to mention that Liu Bei also has some minions who like to make friends with heroes on weekdays, and a group of younger brothers who are attached to him. Do these expenses have to be met by Liu Bei's "making seats and selling shoes"?
Make friends with heroes and don't invite them to a roadside tea shop for tea. You always need to pack a restaurant to eat, drink and have fun! Want to have a group of friends who follow you for a long time, and you can't let them drink the northwest wind. As a boss, you always need to invite them to dinner from time to time! These expenses are met by Liu Bei's "weaving seats and selling shoes", which is probably the biggest in the world!
So what does Liu Bei rely on to meet his expenses of making heroes and raising his younger brother?
What does Liu Bei rely on to meet the expenses of making heroes and recruiting younger brothers?
A record in the Biography of Ancient Shu Masters may solve our doubts. "Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and Zhongshan merchants are so tired that they sell horses in Zhuo Jun, but they are different, but they are richer." The late master can use it to join his disciples. "This passage means" Zhongshan County (equivalent to today's north-central Hebei, adjacent to Zhuo Jun where Liu Bei lives), big businessmen Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang are worth tens of millions. They all sell horses in Zhuo Jun. "When they met Liu Bei, they thought Liu Bei was a strange person, so they often gave Liu Bei money, and Liu Bei used the money to assemble a group of subordinates."
Billionaires often give money to Liu Bei for nothing because they have seen him several times and think he is a strange person? Do you think such a story will be true? If there is no profit, who will give away their money for nothing? At this time, it is not difficult to find that Liu Bei's previous actions of making heroes and recruiting younger brothers are inextricably linked!
Why did the billionaire give Liu Bei money as soon as they met?
First of all, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang are engaged in selling horses, which is not an ordinary industry. Horses are not only important labor animals in ancient society, but also important strategic materials, because war horses are always in short supply. The special status of the horse has created its high value. The Records of the Emperors in the Later Han Dynasty recorded: "In the first month of spring in the fourth year of Guanghe (18 1), the stables were set up first, and the county horses were collected." If you are rich, you will have one horse to two million. "Han Guang and four years (18 1), a new official position was established in the Eastern Han Dynasty, called Li Ji Ma Cheng, who was responsible for the domestic horse trading. When powerful tycoons saw that it was profitable, they monopolized the profiteering industry by various means. At that time, the value of a horse was fired to 2 million yuan! " It can be seen that the horse trafficking industry was not an ordinary industry at that time, but a monopoly profiteering industry!
Horse trafficking was a monopoly profiteering industry at that time!
It is precisely because the horse-selling industry is a profiteering industry and a monopoly industry that big businessmen engaged in the horse-selling industry need to take care of local heroes so as not to cheat secretly. Because Liu Bei made friends with heroes in Zhuojun and recruited younger brothers, he was also a modest hero in Zhuo Jun. This is why Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang think that Liu Bei is a strange person. Anyone who can make friends with heroes and recruit younger brothers can be ordinary people! That's why Zhang Shiping gave Liu Bei free money when they met Su Shuang, because they needed to take care of local heroes!
It is by accepting the "protection fee" paid by these big businessmen that Liu Bei can meet his expenses of making friends with heroes and attracting younger brothers!
Liu Bei met his expenses of making friends with heroes and recruiting younger brothers by collecting "protection money"!
Liu Bei was never considered a poor child, and his family was far superior to most families at the same time.
Although Liu Bei lost his father at an early age, he was still able to thrive under the protection of the clan. As a teenager, Liu Bei was appreciated by his uncle Liu Yuanqi and always supported Liu Bei to receive education and study abroad. Liu Bei was finally able to learn from Lu Zhi in the Eastern Han Dynasty. When he grew up, Liu Bei was good at making friends with heroes and recruiting talents, and eventually became a local hero in Zhuo Jun County. How can such a life experience and opportunity be regarded as a poor family? How can Liu Canbei be considered a poor child?